When the Swedish adventure racing squad Team Peak Performance entered the Amazon for the World Championships, they expected to see animal...
When the Swedish adventure racing squad Team Peak Performance entered the Amazon for the World Championships, they expected to see animals. (After all, the rainforest is where most of the animals live.)
However, I'll bet none of them would have thought they would run into a stray dog while on their rugged 430 mile journey. The quartet sat down for dinner when an abandoned pup (later named Arthur) came into their lives. After feeding him a meatball, they tried to send him on his way, but there was no ditching their new fifth team member.
All terrains: Despite numerous attempts by the team to get rid of the dog, primarily for his own safety, he refused to go. It meant when he got stuck in the knee-deep mud they helped get him out and when he was exhausted, they stopped to take a break
Encounter: Mikael Lindnord first noticed the scruffy dog when he was sitting down to eat canned meatballs. He fed Arthur one thinking nothing on it, but ended up creating a bond with the dog
Determined: Before one of the segments of the race - a 36 mile kayak around the coast - organizers warned the team that taking Arthur along posed a risk to his and their safety. But Arthur swam alongside the boat and ended up being pulled in by Lindord
Grueling: The race takes teams of four around ten days, and involves continuous hiking, trekking, mountain biking and kayaking
Resting: When the team slept Arthur would also curl up and take a nap alongside them
Support: At one point the dog was not able to find any food in the jungle, so the team stopped and gave him some of their canned food
Challenge: As the team neared the finished the tasks began to take their toll on Arthur and he ended up with some injuries
Health checks: When the team finished the race, they took Arthur to Ecuador to see a vet in order to prepare him for the trip back to Sweden
Donations: Team Peak Performance set up a PayPal account while they were still in South America to garner funds for Arthur's care
Spotlight: Team member Staffan Bjorklund takes Arthur for a walk outside the clinic. Their story had already grabbed the attention of the media
Greeting: Arthur offers out his paw to one of the vets as the team wait in the clinic for him to be checked over
Aftermath: After the procedures were complete he was forced to wear a cone on his head. It was then that Lindord decided to adopt him and take him back to his family in Sweden
Emotional: When Lindord received news that the Board of Agriculture had approved his request for Arthur to be brought back to Sweden, he said he cried while looking at the computer
Happy: Despite his injuries and the toll the final two stages of the race had taken on him, Arthur began to look healthy as he prepared to fly to Sweden and settle into his new home
Attention: The team let passengers stroke Arthur as he wondered around the airport terminal before their flight back to Sweden
Pose: Members of the team stand alongside with flight attendants and a pilot as they prepare to take Arthur home to his new family
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